Documenting Asian American Community Music Ensembles

N.C. Raga Revival

Biographies | Song Blogs | Interview Videos | Photo Gallery

Run by a collective of musicians trained in South Asian classical music under the direction of Viswas Chitnis, the N.C. Raga Revival is a monthly concert series featuring local musicians, often in collaboration with visiting artists.  MAARC chose to feature this collective because it is an excellent example of local artists who practice a specific tradition slowly finding each other, and building a vibrant community over the course of several decades.  The members of this collective were extraordinarily welcoming, giving several hours of their time to us.  When Eric Hung first contacted Viswas, he immediately introduced me and the Daacme Project to many members of the collective, several of whom welcomed me in their homes just a few days before everything was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Interview Videos

This interview features sitarist Viswas Chitnis, the founder and director of N.C. Raga Revival.  The interviewers are Eric Hung and Runchao Liu.  It was conducted on Zoom on September 15, 2020.

 

This interview features tabla player and IT professional Ajay Dholakia.  The interview was conducted by Eric Hung, and it took place at Dholakia’s home in central North Carolina on March 14, 2020.  At one point during this interview, he demonstrates how he played a duet with a turntablist.

 

This interview features vocalist and business analyst Smitha Prasad.  Conducted by Eric Hung at Prasad’s home in central North Carolina, it took place on March 14, 2020.